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Two weeks in Belgium and surrounding areas with a 3 year old.
Posted on 2/21/20 at 6:26 pm
Posted on 2/21/20 at 6:26 pm
We are flying in to Brussels at the end of May - early June. We are softly planning a week in Belgium, couple days in Luxembourg, and trying to decide between Netherlands France and Germany for the remaining 3 days.
We aren't planning on renting a car. Is it worth getting a hotel for a week in Brussels and just taking a train out to the different cities every day or should we do 2 nights Brussels, 1 Bruges, 1 Antwerp, etc...
We are seeing a friend in Luxembourg, so we have a place to stay there.
Should we hit up france or Netherlands with the remaining days.
What things should we not miss in the region. Please keep in mind that we are bringing our almost 3 year old so anything past 930 is likely out of the question.
TIA.
We aren't planning on renting a car. Is it worth getting a hotel for a week in Brussels and just taking a train out to the different cities every day or should we do 2 nights Brussels, 1 Bruges, 1 Antwerp, etc...
We are seeing a friend in Luxembourg, so we have a place to stay there.
Should we hit up france or Netherlands with the remaining days.
What things should we not miss in the region. Please keep in mind that we are bringing our almost 3 year old so anything past 930 is likely out of the question.
TIA.
3
Posted on 2/21/20 at 6:42 pm to Displaced
I made Brussels my Central City for my stay in Belgium, 21 days in fact.
I had a rental car but I did use the train a bit, it is fairly easy to get around by train if that is the route you want to take.
Ghent, Antwerp, and Bruges were fantastic. Dinant, Leige, Charleroi, and Namur were as well. I did drive through Holland and the area was great as many of the flowers were in bloom during June. I also did Luxembourg because of the history surrounding it and the fact it was close.
I didn't have a kid but they do have the comic museum in Brussels, plus the Atrium and plenty of parks. Not to mention chocolate that I think a kid would like. I mostly drank, hiked, and went sight seeing.
I had a rental car but I did use the train a bit, it is fairly easy to get around by train if that is the route you want to take.
Ghent, Antwerp, and Bruges were fantastic. Dinant, Leige, Charleroi, and Namur were as well. I did drive through Holland and the area was great as many of the flowers were in bloom during June. I also did Luxembourg because of the history surrounding it and the fact it was close.
I didn't have a kid but they do have the comic museum in Brussels, plus the Atrium and plenty of parks. Not to mention chocolate that I think a kid would like. I mostly drank, hiked, and went sight seeing.
Posted on 2/21/20 at 8:09 pm to tduecen
Tduecen...did you do any WW1 or WW2 sites? And if you had to pick between Ghent and Antwerp which one would you pick?
Posted on 2/22/20 at 12:16 am to tccdc
quote:
Ghent and Antwerp which one would you pick?
I love Ghent....it's Brugges without all the tourist traps. But Antwerp is great too. I don't think you can make a wrong decision....I would choose Ghent.
Posted on 2/22/20 at 5:16 am to tccdc
Several thought out Belgium and surrounding areas, I went to a few little town outside of Ghent and Antwerp but the coolest thing I did was in a small town outside of Dinant. A friends family lived in Belgium and her father showed me an underground bunker that many of the people from that town went to in order to avoid the Germans during WW2. He spoke no English so my friend had to translate for us but the experience was something different.
Now if I had to choose between Ghent and Antwerp I found Antwerp had more to do but Ghent had a fantastic castle I was able to visit and was more laid back/less touristy. So depends on what you wanted to see.
Now if I had to choose between Ghent and Antwerp I found Antwerp had more to do but Ghent had a fantastic castle I was able to visit and was more laid back/less touristy. So depends on what you wanted to see.
Posted on 2/22/20 at 11:17 am to Displaced
With a young kid especially, you're most likely gonna hate doing places for one night. You travel to get there, get settled (if the room is even available right when you arrive), you get your bearings, then you spend an hour or some before dusk, then you're leaving the next day.
The best advice I could gives is to base yourself out of one place, then make day trips if you want.
Brussels is a mess of a city, I prefer almost any other place in Flanders and heck, even a few in Wallonia over Brussels.
Ghent would be a great place connected by rail to make day trips. You could stay for 4-5 nights and save a tremendous amount of time packing/carrying luggage/waiting for lodging/checking out, etc
The best advice I could gives is to base yourself out of one place, then make day trips if you want.
Brussels is a mess of a city, I prefer almost any other place in Flanders and heck, even a few in Wallonia over Brussels.
Ghent would be a great place connected by rail to make day trips. You could stay for 4-5 nights and save a tremendous amount of time packing/carrying luggage/waiting for lodging/checking out, etc
Posted on 2/22/20 at 5:06 pm to LoneStarRanger
What? Brussels has so much to do between the city center, gardens, atorium, comic book museum, chocolate, guilds, children's museum, museum of musical instruments, oceande, etc...
Posted on 2/25/20 at 10:00 am to LoneStarRanger
quote:can you expand on this. From what we have heard/read in travel books, Brussels would be a good Basecamp for our time in Belgium.
Brussels is a mess of a city, I prefer almost any other place in Flanders and heck, even a few in Wallonia over Brussels.
Anyone have any recommendations on the Netherlands? Is Amsterdam a terrible idea with a 3 year old?
Posted on 2/25/20 at 10:32 am to Displaced
Amsterdam would be fine with a kid, I mean it isn't all about drugs they have plenty of museums, parks, and sights to see. I also went to Rotterdam which was beautiful but mainly went for the war history.
Posted on 2/25/20 at 10:40 am to Displaced
quote:
We aren't planning on renting a car.
I would personally reconsider this especially with a kid. Train travel with little kids is hard, it requires more walking to the train station and to your destination compared to just renting a car. Plus, you limit yourself to destinations with trains. With 2 adults a rental car will be very close to the cost of train travel outside of maybe a 1 way dropoff fee if needed.
I love trains and subways. But with kids you walk outside, throw them in your car, and often times arrive at your destination. Especially where you are going and not big cities where parking is more difficult.
I would probably not do single nights, but maybe stay 3-4 places to sleep. Also, I highly recommend slowing down with a kid. Plan half as much, and have a lot more FREE time. Where you do something if you have time, but don't rush. This is coming from someone that travels with 3 kids.
Posted on 2/25/20 at 11:02 am to baldona
quote:
Also, I highly recommend slowing down with a kid. Plan half as much, and have a lot more FREE time. Where you do something if you have time, but don't rush. This is coming from someone that travels with 3 kids.
Oh we have already learned that lesson
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